mobile game development

You are commuting to work. To pass the time, you check out some new apps and games to install on your phone. Among the countless options, one of them catches your attention. You remember watching it on YouTube. Some hardcore gamer was talking about how awesome it is. He’s a passionate gamer. You’ve seen his game reviews before. Now you’re interested to check this game out for yourself. You install it and start playing it. Soon, you realize that the review was legit. It is actually an awesome game. Now, there’s a smile on your face and you can’t wait for the lunch break when you’ll play it again. Congratulations, you’ve been “influenced.”

What’s This Influencer Marketing All About?

Influencers are people who have been doing something passionately all their lives. It could be anything from playing video games to cooking, from investing money to fitness. They are extremely passionate about that particular thing and they often talk about the ins and outs of it – on their blogs, on social networks, on podcasts, you name it. They share their experiences, their mistakes, their journey. Through their words, they move people. People listen to them for advice, ideas, and improvement tips. Ideally, influencers don’t expect or ask for anything in return. However, there are influencers who get paid or ask for something in return (not necessarily in monetary terms) to review, mention, or endorse a particular brand or product.

Influencer Marketing for Mobile Games

YouTube and Twitch help gamers explore new games before they download those. According to Chartboost (a business engine for mobile games), influencer marketing is heavily on the rise. Certain games are standing out from the crowd because of influencer reviews.

If Google is to be believed, 90% of gamers watch YouTube videos for tips on gaming advancements and discovering new games. The lion’s share of these views come from mobile devices.

Influencer marketing helps gamers find games they would actually like from the sea of options available and keeps them highly engaged.

Influencer reviews of mobile games breathe authenticity into the marketing message. It
convinces the audience that the game is actually great.

What Does This Indicate for Mobile Game Developers?

This presents a huge scope to strategically market your game through influencers. As a mobile game developer, you have two options – either make a great game or offer some sort of benefit to an influencer to review your game. Now, if you’re an indie game developer, the first is likely to be your preferred option. Concentrate on it with your heart and soul. Put all your mobile game development skills to use. Make it your life’s goal for a while. Then contact influencers with a loyal follower base on YouTube. Persuade them to review your game. Maybe you won’t get an instant response. But when you do, it’s only a matter of time until the number of installs of your game skyrockets.

In a marketplace flooded with games, what do you do to get your creation noticed? You start brainstorming your influencer marketing strategy. According to the aforementioned Chartboost report, influencer marketing works better on mobile devices because on mobile, it’s possible to track the results. So, build, release, get your game reviewed by an influencer, and track the result. You don’t have to be one of the countless independent mobile game developers out there. You can be a professional developer with a full time job and still get your game noticed if an influencer reviews your game on YouTube.

In the end

Playing a game on a mobile device is a very personal experience. But at the same time, it’s also an activity that makes the player feel part of a community – the gaming community. The influencer is like a mutual friend of both you and gamers. They connect the two of you. They praise your game’s beautiful interface, user-friendliness, gameplay and so on. They analyze the finesse of your mobile game development and gamers pay attention. So when you bring an influencer on board, not only do they influence your target audience, they also get your creation noticed by their own loyal audience. Just think about the exposure your game can get from an influencer! It’s high time you take influencer marketing seriously.